From The Olympics To A Unicorn: How 'Cyber Immune System' Darktrace Hit A $1.3BN Valuation

▤ Summary

The cybersecurity company, which provides what it calls a network "immune system" powered by artificial intelligence, hit a $1.25 billion valuation last month, two sources close to the deal told Forbes. Its now one of a few cybersecurity startups that analysts say can validly claim to be using AI and machine learning to successfully identify hackers, as it attempts to spearhead an industry shift away from clunky anti-virus and firewalls towards intelligent code that can make decisions on how best to secure corporate and government networks. But it hasnt put any quotas in place, it simply employs the best, who happen to be a mix of genders, said Eagan, her Californian accent cutting above the deep buzz of the male-heavy Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas last July. To hone its algorithms in its incipience, Darktrace favored ex-intelligence staff, not just from the U.K. but hackers formerly of the NSAs offensive cyber division, Tailored Access Operations, which infamously saw its innards exposed by the Edward Snowden leaks. It picks up on mundane but dangerous threats that older tech misses too: The Church of England said its Darktrace deployment found ransomware before it locked up all its sacred files, whilst Colorado-based laboratory, MetroPath, told Forbes it cleared out Russian criminals whod been sitting undetected on its servers for eight months.

▦ Linked Companies

Darktrace

$250M to $500M